


Family

by kcracken



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Family, Reminiscing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-05
Updated: 2014-06-05
Packaged: 2018-02-03 13:28:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1746356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kcracken/pseuds/kcracken
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Teddy Lupin has a hard time with not knowing about his parents and knowing that no one around him is truly related to him. Harry helps him find out that is very far from the truth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this back in 2007. It was more of me coming to terms with Teddy being a real character. I did not agree with the Lupin/Tonks relationship. I've come to accept it, but mostly because I like Teddy. Enjoy.

Teddy Remus Lupin sat on the steps of the porch of The Burrow watching his "cousins" playing. He was the oldest, always had been since his parents died in the war. He'd been raised by his maternal grandmother, Andromeda Tonks. Gran was nice, very smart and very protective of him. He loved her with all of his heart.

His "cousins" weren't really related to him. They were the children of his godfather, Harry, and Harry's friends, Hermione and Ron. Harry was also married to Ron's sister, Ginny. Those children, with their red and black and brown hair, all belonged together. Their grandmother, Gran Molly, always treated him as one of the family. And that's why he was there. 

Little Lily had just turned two. She was running around chasing the flutterbys with Rose. James, Hugo and Albus were running around on brooms, pretending they were flying. And Teddy was just watching, as he always did. He looked up as he felt a heavy hand on his head to see his godfather smiling down at him, the sun glinting off his glasses, making it difficult to see his deep green eyes.

"Wotcher, Teddy," Harry said in the greeting Teddy'd always heard from his Gran. He dropped onto the step beside him and nudged against him, trying to get a reaction. "Getting excited about starting school?"

Teddy shrugged. He got on well with Harry. He'd been sort of a surrogate father to him. When Teddy had been little, he'd come by Gran's all the time… until James had been born. A twinge of jealousy tugged at his stomach. 

Everything he'd heard about Hogwarts from his adoptive family made it sound like it was a wonderful place. But he was different. He was a Metamorphmagus like his mother. What if people didn't like him or thought he was a freak?

Harry nudged him with his shoulder again. "Teddy, you are so much like your father."

Teddy's eyes closed and his shoulders hunched over as he sighed. Everyone told him he was like his mother. Only Harry ever said he was like his father. Why was that? Why couldn't anyone else see the resemblance?

They sat in contemplative silence for a little while. Finally, Teddy got up the courage to ask a question he'd always wanted to ask. "Harry?"

"Yeah, Teddy?" Harry's eyes were on his children, watching them play.

Teddy saw the look. Harry would rather be out there with his kids rather than sitting here with him. "Nothing, never mind." He put his chin in his hands and rested his elbows on his knees.

Harry tore his eyes away from his sons and looked at his godson, whom he'd always considered one of his sons as well. "What's wrong, Teddy? You're acting more like your father than you usually do."

"Why do you say that?" he asked, turning to look at Harry.

Harry smiled. "Because it's true."

"Then how come nobody else says that?"

Harry blinked in surprise. Was he really the only one who ever told Teddy he was just like Remus? The boy was quiet and loved books. He looked more like Tonks, true, but that was mostly because of him being a Metamorphmagus. Was that all anyone ever saw? Couldn't they see the intelligent boy underneath?

Teddy snorted in disgust at his lack of a reply and stood up. "I'm going for a walk."

Harry watched him go, sad that he'd upset the boy. But if he was anything like his father, he'd be back to talk soon enough. Turning his attention back to the yard, he frowned and yelled at James. "Hey, put your sister down!"

 

Teddy walked towards the pond, kicking at an errant gnome as it crossed his path. The gnome made a rude gesture then dove into Gran Molly's garden. He walked around the pond to where the bench was that Gran Molly and Grandad Arthur often sat on at dusk watching the sunset. He sat down, stretching his long legs out in front of him. He put his arms behind his head and looked up at the sky.

His father's name had been Remus, as in the ancient tale of the brothers, Remus and Romulus. He wondered if his father'd had a brother. Probably not. He would have come looking for him before now, wouldn't he have?

He sat up and looked at his reflection in the still water. He tried to make his face look like the pictures Harry had shown him of his father. The dirty brown hair was easy. But the rest never would come. It was as if he'd been cursed to never look anything like his father. He didn't want that. He wanted to BE his father. 

But who exactly was his father? Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron had told him about how he helped them and how he'd come to teach at Hogwarts. Harry showed him the Marauder's Map once, and Moony said that he was very proud of him, though Prongs wanted him to turn his hair bright pink. Then Padfoot butted in and suggested plaid. Harry had to explain that the first time Sirius had seen Teddy's mother changing her hair color it had ended up plaid because she was scared. From that moment on, he concentrated on never letting his hair turn plaid.

He heard Gran Molly calling everyone in for dinner. Standing, he shoved his hands into his pockets as he strode back up to the house. He knew he'd be needed to help the little ones get cleaned up. He always helped, because he was 'good boy, Teddy'.

 

After dinner, the family gathered in the sitting room to listen to Grandpa Arthur and Ron tell tales about the war. Teddy didn't feel like family. He wasn't related to anyone in there, anyway. So he sat at the kitchen table reading a book. He didn't want to hear about the war anyway. It was the war that had taken his parents away from him.

A while later, Harry came strolling through the kitchen. "Hey," he said, bumping Teddy's chair. "Come for a walk with me."

Teddy placed his finger on the page and looked up at his godfather. "Why?" he asked.

Harry shrugged, his hands in his pockets. "I was thinking about our conversation earlier. My parents died when I was only fifteen months old. I didn't know them either. Everyone always told me I looked like my dad, but had my mum's eyes. I never knew what that meant. I think you want to know the same thing I asked Sirius once. You want to know about your parents."

Teddy looked at him for a moment, digesting all Harry’d said. It was true. He did want to know about them. Gran had told him some about his mother, but she had only known his dad for a few months. He knew little about Remus Lupin. He took his bookmark and placed it on the page before shutting the huge tome.

Harry looked down at the book's title: _Hogwarts: A History_. "So, who gave you that?" he asked.

"Aunt Hermione," he replied with a sigh. "I've already read it, but I couldn't very well tell her I have Grandad Ted's original first edition. She'd have freaked."

Harry laughed and ushered the boy out the door. "Too true."

 

They walked across the lawn, heading towards the barn where the brooms were stored. Both of them had their hands deep in their pockets. Harry looked over at the boy. His hair was a brown color right now. His features did remind him a lot of Tonks, but it was the pensive look on his face that screamed Remus. "So, what do you want to know?"

Teddy shrugged. He really didn't know. "Just about them, I guess. Did they love each other? How'd they meet? That kinda thing. I mean, I know a lot about Mum from Gran, but she didn't really know Dad. What was he like?"

Harry wasn't sure he could answer his first questions, at least not honestly. He never was really sure how Remus felt about Tonks. Remus had always seemed - _irritated?_ \- every time Tonks was brought up in those last days. Now if anyone mentioned the baby, he had been excited. Harry had never really known what to make of that. But he knew exactly how to answer the last question.

"Your dad was quiet, like you. He loved to read and had an odd sense of humor. He was an excellent teacher, so good at Dark Arts. But most of all, he was a good friend." He glanced over and noticed the boy was listening to him intently. "Your dad was my parents and _my_ godfather's best friend. Sirius and my dad learned to be Animagi just so they could be with your dad during the full moon."

"That had to be hard for dad, being a werewolf." Teddy's voice was soft and sounded very worried.

"It was," Harry replied. "He pretty much punished himself all the time. He knew how most people felt about werewolves and was always afraid everyone felt the same way." Harry listened to his own words and was shocked. It was true; Lupin had always worried about other's opinions. And he worried that anyone around him would be persecuted for being with him. "He tried to protect his friends and family, tried to keep himself distant, but we wouldn't let him. We welcomed him with open arms."

He smiled, remembering how Molly would always try and feed him, tried setting him up with someone or another. "You know how Gran Molly is, always treating everyone like they're her own."

Teddy snorted. "Yeah, even when they aren't."

Harry stopped walking and looked at the boy. There was something there he wasn't admitting to. "You don't think you're related to us, do you?"

Teddy had taken a few steps ahead of him. He stopped and turned back to look at Harry. "Not by blood."

His godfather grinned, looking so much like his own godfather at that very moment. "You could not be more wrong, Theodore Remus Lupin."

Teddy grimaced. Gran only called him by his full name when he was in trouble. "I'm not related to any Weasleys or Potters. Yeah, I was related to Sirius Black, but he wasn't related to you by blood either."

Harry took a step forward so he was standing directly in front of Teddy. He wrapped an arm around him as he grabbed his wand. "Hold on, we're going to number twelve Grimmauld Place," he said. He looked towards the house before Apparating. He saw Ginny watching from the porch and nodded to her. She would know.

Teddy hadn't Apparated with anyone much, but he knew he hated it. It felt like he was being pulled apart. He clutched Harry's jumper tightly and closed his eyes until he felt ground under his feet again. He opened his eyes slowly and saw a black door before him. The number twelve hung at an odd angle. But there was no door handle.

Harry tapped his wand against the door and heard the satisfying sound of sliding locks. The door opened and a ghostly voice said, " _Severus Snape_." Harry replied immediately. "I am not who killed you." They had never been able to disarm Moody's spells after his death. But it didn't matter. No one came here often.

He led Teddy into the hall, lighting his wand. He grinned when he saw the troll leg umbrella stand. "Your mum used to trip on that constantly," he said, lighting up the offensive accessory.

Teddy looked around. Where were they? He followed Harry up a short flight of stairs then up two more flights. He opened a door that lead into a dusty bedroom. Teddy looked around and turned his nose up. The smell was quite offensive to his sensitive nose.

Harry moved over to the wall where a few pictures were pasted. "Sirius put them up with permanent sticking charms." He pointed to a photo of three boys and a girl. "That's my mum and dad," he said pointing to the red haired girl and the boy with glasses. "That's Sirius." He pointed to a handsome boy with a mischievous look in his eyes. "And that… is your dad."

Teddy stepped closer. His dad was a bit taller than the others and stood to the back. He was thin, but not scrawny. His robes were well worn, but he had a bright smile on his face. That was his dad. He reached out and touched the picture, wishing he could take it.

Suddenly, he stepped back and crossed his arm. "What does this have to do with me being related to you?" he asked angrily.

Harry was surprised by his reaction. What had caused the sudden change? It was exactly how Remus had reacted during his last days. Harry remembered the fight, his chest clinching. He'd basically told Remus off. Why hadn't he noticed then that something was wrong between him and Tonks? But was it really just because he didn't want them to have to live with being on the run all the time? He would never know. Teddy would never know.

Harry sighed and began to walk from the room. "It has nothing to do with it. Come on, I'll show you." He walked down to the sitting room. Despite everyone else wanting to get rid of the Black family tree, Harry had kept it. It was the only link he had left to everyone he loved.

He moved over to the wall and showed the boy the tapestry. "This is the Black family tree. I know it doesn't look like much, but when I explain, you might think differently."

Teddy stepped forward and looked at the tapestry. There were several places that had charred marks. What did that mean? Had those people died? "What're those for?" he asked, pointing at the black spots.

"Those are…" Harry wasn't quite sure how to explain it. The whole blood purity had died with Voldemort. "Well, back before the war, there were pureblood families who didn't like it when their family members married half bloods or Muggle borns. The Black family crest actually says 'Tujours Pur', which means always pure. Anyone who had, well, tainted their pure blood were stricken from the family tree."

He pointed to the spot on the lower left of the tapestry. "That is Sirius." He slid his finger over to the other side. "And that's your Gran Andromeda. Your Gran was blasted off because she married Ted, a Muggle born. Sirius was blasted off because he was friends with my mum and he was in Gryffindor."

Teddy looked at Harry with worry in his eyes. "Did people really do that? Disown their family just because they didn't marry a pureblood?"

Harry nodded sadly. "You should listen to your Grandpa Arthur and Uncle Ron's stories sometimes. They can tell you the horrors we saw. The last days of the war were the worst. I found it funny later to realize that the people most important in the war, Voldemort, me, Professor Snape, were all half bloods. The purebloods thought they were fighting to keep their blood pure, but that wasn't how it ended up."

Teddy suddenly felt sorry for Harry. He knew he'd had a huge part in the war, but he always skipped over those parts in the books he read. He didn't want to come across his mother's or father's name. But now he needed to. Maybe he'd be able to understand Harry better if he did.

Harry let out a deep breath and smiled tightly. "But you want to know how we're related." Harry was proud of this. He'd done research with Ginny and Hermione's help. He slid his finger up from Andromeda's spot and to the left slightly. "Charlus Potter was my grandfather. He married Dorea Black, who was my grandmother. I never knew them, though. See, one son. That was my dad."

He picked up his finger and moved it over to the two names next to Sirius' parents. "Ignatius Prewett was Gran Molly's uncle. He married Sirius' aunt, Lucretia Black. And that is how you are related to all of the Weasleys and me."

Teddy stood looking at the tapestry for a good while in silent contemplation. Harry didn't want to bother him, so he just watched the boy wondering what was going through his mind. Finally, Teddy looked up at Harry. "Would… would you make a copy of it for me? Without the blasted spots. I want to do something with it."

Harry smiled. "I'd be happy to." He turned to the nearby desk and pulled out a piece of parchment. A moment later, a copy of the tapestry, minus the blasted spots, was neatly on the paper. "Here you go."

Teddy took it in his hands and looked at it with a smile.

 

A boy with bright Gryffindor red hair climbed into his new bed with the red and gold curtains surrounding it. He pulled something from his pocket and smoothed it out against the wall at the head of his bed. Pulling out his wand, he cast a simple sticking charm, adhering it to the wood. When he was finished, he sat back and admired his work. 

"Oi, Lupin," called one of his roommates. "What'cha doing?"

Teddy turned and smiled. "Just remembering my family."


End file.
